Benny Nalkara, CMI

In the New Testament, especially in the Pauline epistles and the Epistle to the Hebrews we find a lot of athletic metaphors in discussing Christianity. The Philosophers, like Epictetus and Philo, drawing on the tradition of the Olympic Games, have used these metaphors in plenty and this may have influenced New Testament use of the imagery.
In 1 Corinthians, written to the city that hosted the Isthmian Games, the metaphor is extended from running to other games, such as boxing, to make the point that winning a prize requires discipline, self-control, and coordinated activity. “Discipline” (Greek hupopiazō) literally means “to bruise, to beat black and blue.” He says that he beats and bruises his body and enslaves it so that it will not be disqualified. Paul develops his longest sporting metaphor here (1 Corinthians 9:24-27): “Don’t you realise that the runners in the Stadium, all of them run, but only one gets the medal? You are to run in such a way as to win. Everyone who is in athletic training exercises self-control; so I am running in such a way as not to be without purpose. When I box, I do it in such a way as not to land my blows on empty air – instead I let my body know who is boss, and I make it my slave…” The point here is that the Corinthians must be serious about their mission, as serious as athletes are about their training.
In the Letter to the Philippians, in chapter 3:12-14, Paul tries another sporting metaphor, encouraging them to keep going in the race towards Christ that Paul himself is running: ‘I haven’t yet got it, nor have I already peaked… stretching out for what is ahead … rushing towards the finishing-line towards the “prize.’ Paul writes, “I press on” (Phil. 3:12), employing a word (diokō) meaning “to move rapidly and decisively after an object.” The metaphor of running a race “with perseverance” appears in Hebrews 12:1, and related metaphors appear in Philippians 2:16, Galatians 2:2, and Galatians 5:7. This “race” (agōn) was the excruciating long-distance event like marathon that involved agony and agonizing.
In 2 Timothy, chapter 2, Paul uses the metaphor of athlete along with that of soldier and farmer. In 2:5 he says “And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing according to the rules.” According to Paul, the athlete does not win the crown of victory unless he observes the rules of the contest. In Greek the phrase for striving lawfully is athlein nomimos. In fact, that is the Greek phrase which was used by the later writers to describe a professional as opposed to an amateur athlete. The man who strove lawfully was the man who concentrated everything on his struggle. His struggle was a whole-time dedication of his life to excellence in the contest which he had chosen.
In the opinion of Paul, the athlete is a man under discipline and self-denial. Strict training is required for an athlete to submit to compete at the highest level. There shall be no question of relaxing his discipline; the athlete should keep away from pleasures and indulgences he would like to allow himself; the athlete who would excel knows that he must let nothing interfere with that standard of physical fitness which he has set himself. After the discipline and the rules of the training, there come the contest and the rules of the contest. An athlete cannot win unless he plays the game within the rules. The Christian, too, must defend his faith; he must seek to convince and to persuade; he will have to argue and to debate. Paul writes that believers must do the same: “Train (gymnazō) yourself for godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7).
We must “toil” (1 Tim. 4:10) if we will win the prize. The Greek word kopiaō means “to toil to the point of exhaustion.” In the pursuit of holiness, we must give ourselves until we have nothing left to give.
In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul writes “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Here Paul uses two expressions, “I have fought the good fight” and “I have finished the race.” The word he uses for fight is agon, which is the word for a contest in the arena. When an athlete can really say that he has done his best, then, win or lose, there is a deep satisfaction in his heart. Paul has come to the end, and he knows that he has put up a good show. The utterance, “I have finished the race,” highlights one thing necessary for an athlete, namely, staying-power and steadfastness. We find Paul’s claim that he had finished the race. There is a deep satisfaction in reaching the goal.
The athletic metaphors of Paul depict the adversity and challenge he faced as he preached the gospel. They also demonstrate the rigor and intent with which all Christians should undertake spiritual discipline. Athletic qualities like strict training, self-control, steadfast obedience, strenuous effort, strategic aim, and singular focus are highlighted for a faithful and successful disciple. A Christian’s life must be concentrated upon his Christianity just as a professional athlete’s life is concentrated upon his chosen contest. The spare-time or part-time Christian is a contradiction in terms; a man’s whole life should be an endeavour to live out his Christian commitment.